Got a Headache? Have Sex, Says Doctor

The traditional reason to avoid sex is that you have a headache, but according to a leading OB-GYN and author of Love Sex Again, sex may well be the best cure for a migraine. “Theoretically, sex can help with a headache,” Dr. Lauren Streicher says. “But not just a headache — a muscle ache, a stomach ache, a foot ache, a you-name-it ache.” The reason is actually fairly simple: when you have sex, your body releases endorphins, and endorphins ease pain. “There was one study out of Southern Illinois University that showed that women suffering from migraine headaches who had sex had a 50 percent decrease in their headache.”

Although sex can in fact sometimes cause headaches, Streicher says studies show that endorphins have proven to lessen the pain of a headache, but the distraction sex brings is also helpful. “I think we have both things at play here. I think the endorphins that are released might decrease the pain, and distraction is always a good thing.”